www.nicholsboats.com
Doing Business with Nichols: Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Inc. has, for over four generations, been building vessels that reflect sleek lines, practical efficiency and State of the Art Technology for the people who ride and work on the water. We combine experience and resources to build boats that meet our customers’ needs. Nichols Brothers market is as wide as the industry we work in. We have specialized in building technically demanding, one-off vessels along with multiple “Sister Ship” vessels. Nichols Brothers works with the customer to provide a partnership between the Owner and Builder that best fits your vessel requirements. Passenger Vessels: Nichols Brothers is particularly proud of the passenger boats we have built which include dinner boats, excursion vessels, overnight cruising vessels, colorful period boats, paddlewheel steamer replicas, and car ferries. In addition to conventional passenger vessels, we are the largest builder of high-speed catamarans in the United States. In fact, Nichols Brothers was the first to introduce high speed passenger catamarans to the USA. Work Boats/ Military Vessels: Since the beginning, Nichols Brothers has been building workboats for every purpose. These have included specialized workboats such as spilt hull dredges, pilot boats, tugs, fireboats, landing crafts, barges and high speed military vessels. Fishing Boats: Nichols Brothers has built a variety of fishing boats specifically designed for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska fishing grounds. Conversion and Repair: Nichols Brothers’ experience in building boats of all types leads us to efficient and successful repairs and conversions.
About the Yard: Founded by the late Frank Nichols, Nichols Brothers has grown to a company with two locations. Nichols Brothers main yard, in Freeland, WA, is staffed by a work force that has long term roots in the area. The Freeland facility has the capability of doing complete vessel designs, engineering and manufacturing. This in turn allows us to provide for the needs of marine customers in both new vessel construction and conversion/repair programs. The other Nichols Brothers facility, located in Langley, WA, is set up for outfitting, finish work, dock trials and sea trials. The facility has an outfitting dock and repair shops. This facility can handle ships up to 300 feet and/or a 20-foot draft. As Nichols Brothers facilities have grown so has the diversity of our vessels we’ve built. Our growth has allowed us to continue to improve our tooling, training, and experience. We have broadened our marketing expertise in terms of meeting customer needs, competitive pricing, understanding route and fuel economics, and getting a feel for customer operations. With the continuous advances in computer-based technology we have been able to utilize new software tools to optimize designs, test structures, produce detailed three-dimensional engineering drawings, and accurately predict vessel performances. In a recent cooperative program with the US Maritime Administration, Nichols Brothers developed a new construction methodology specifically aimed at reducing labor hours needed for the construction of a vessel. This has allowed us to increase our yards capacity and reduce the overall vessel construction time. The program has been very successful and we have experienced greater labor reductions then originally expected. This type of program is an example of Nichols Brothers continuing effort to set the standards for vessel quality throughout the US. So when you are ready to build your vessel, come to us at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Inc. We’ll launch your boat together!
Frank Nichols
Freeland, WA – Main Boat Yard
Langley, WA – Outfitting Yard
Expert Construction of Steel and Aluminum Vessels
Passenger Vessels
Dinner Boats
High Speed Catamarans
Overnight Cruise Boats
Yachts
Car Ferries
SWATH Boats Tour Boats
Work Boats
Tugs
Barges
Research Vessels
Dredges
Fireboats Landing Crafts
Pilot Boats
Fishing Vessels
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 580
Freeland, WA 98249
Main Yard Address: 5400 S. Cameron Road
Freeland, WA 98249
Phone: (360) 331-5500
Fax: (360) 331-7484
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.nicholsboats.com
